The Plays The Thing
by Middlen
Summary: Minako has to put on a play for her Theater class, so of course she asks her friends, but does Minako have an ulterior motive? Is she really do this for just a grade? Find out!


You know the drill. I don't own Sailor Moon, blah. I also don't own Xena either. Though I highly wished I did.

I have interrupted my current story **Breaking Free** for this special story that came to me the other night while on a lot of Mountain Dew ™ and watching Xena ™. And now on with the story!

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**The Plays the Thing**

By

Middlen

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Rei walks out from behind the curtain with a frown on her face looking down at the cloths she now wears then looks up when she hears a squeal from Minako from off stage.

"How did you talk me into this again?" She asks her frown deepening.

"Oh come on, Rei! You look good. You look like a real warrior and everything. I knew I picked a good candidate to play Xena," Minako answers with a large grin on her face before coming towards the stage to lean against it.

Rei rubs her face then looks down at the warrior ensemble which consists of a bronze breast plate, a really short leather type of dress, a sword in a scabbard on her back, a round thing at her waist, gauntlets and things around her biceps.

She shakes her head then scowls. "You really owe me big time for this one, Minako!" She exclaims before heading off stage to the left wing.

Minako giggles then calls out for Usagi to come on stage.

Usagi comes out of the wings and glares at Minako while trying to cover her stomach. "Why couldn't you pick something else instead of this? When I agreed to help you with this project I didn't expect to have to be half dressed in order to help, Mina!" Usagi exclaims while trying to pull her rather small shirt down over her stomach then grumbles when it doesn't comply.

"Because you're shorter then Rei and I would've had Haruka do it, but she's taller then Rei and we can't have a taller Gabrielle now can we?" Minako explains while clapping her hands together then pulls herself up onto the stage to look Usagi over.

"What about my hair, Mina? Why the hair? Couldn't you have at least picked an older episode to do instead of the later ones? You made me cut my hair! I could've at least used a wig or something!" Usagi exclaims with her hands on her hips glaring at Minako.

"We're going for realism here, babe! That's what we're looking for," Minako says before stopping in front of Usagi with a smile on her face. "You two look a great deal like Xena and Gabrielle from the TV show and it was just perfect. Now I can get a good grade in my theater class. Besides your hair will grow back."

Usagi grumbles before looking down at her self only to see a short, thin strapped tank top that ends at the midriff with a short skirt, tall boots and sais strapped to the sides of the boots. She rolls her eyes then walks back off stage still grumbling about crazy blondes and what she does for friends.

Minako just smiles and rubs her hands. _My plan is working. Not only will I get a good grade in my theater class, but I'll also get to of my best friends together. Things just couldn't be more perfect._

"Okay, Mamoru, it's your turn to come out to show me what you look like," Minako yells after hoping back down onto the floor next to the stage and waits for Mamoru to come out of the wings with a evil look in her eyes.

Mamoru comes out of the wings looking real miserable then stops in the middle of the stage. "Minako, I really don't think I fit the description that you gave me on how Ares is suppose to look and why do I have to do this again? Shouldn't I be playing someone else? Like Gabrielle's love interest Virgil or something?" He asks while standing uncomfortably in the middle of the stage.

Minako shakes her head and chuckles. "Nope. We're not doing one of those episodes," she explains while giggling under breath at the dark haired mans fidgeting. "Besides you look great as the god of war and it'll be prefect besides what better way to make all the girls like you better? Bad boys are in Mamoru!"

Mamoru shakes his head. "There's only one girl that I'm interested in and what will she think to seeing me like this?" He asks while waving his hand over his leather pants, boots and leather shirt that's open to show his chest.

Minako shrugs her shoulders. "That you look hot? Look, Mamoru if you didn't want to help then why did you agree when I told you who you would be playing?" Minako asks with her hands planted on her hips.

Mamoru throws up his hands. "Because I thought you were going to do a Shakespearean play or something like that. I didn't think that you would be recreating an episode of Xena. Who in their right mind watches that show anyways?" He asks in exasperation while he glares at the blonde haired Senshi of love.

"I do, Mamoru-kun," a deep voice says from the wings and out walks a skimpy clad, Haruka.

She lets out a sigh and looks down at the ensemble then back at Minako. "Remind me again which episode of Xena we are doing? Because I don't think I remember this one," she mumbles before coming over to the stage and sits down on the edge still glaring at Minako.

"We're doing an episode from the sixth season. You know. The one where Gabrielle and Xena have to protect Eve from the Amazons only to find out that Ares is behind the whole thing all along because the Amazons lost their patron goddess Artemis," Minako answers while looking Haruka up and down with a smirk on her face.

Haruka rolls her eyes then gets up from the stage and walks off, but not before stopping and looks over her shoulder towards the blonde haired woman. "I'm going to get you for this one, Minako. Someday, somehow and when you least expect it," she vows before exiting the stage.

Minako gulps then claps her hands together and calls everyone onto the stage to hand out their scripts so that they can begin rehearsing.

A couple of days of splotchy acting Minako calls for a meeting then looks over her very uncomfortable thespians. "I've decided to make some changes, since everyone looks like they are miserable with doing this episode," she looks at the scowling Haruka and Usagi then gulps at the looks that they are giving her. "So I've decided that we're going to do a more light hearted episode with a tiny bit of rewrites," she says with her finger and thumb held slightly apart and a huge smile on her face.

The groans that erupt from the ensemble cast doesn't deter Minako instead she just claps her hands together and hands out the different scripts.

"Umm. Minako, just how long do you have to do this play in order to get your final grade?" Rei asks while looking through the script, but stops on page thirty and gaps at the script before blushing profusely.

Minako rubs the back of her neck and grins sheepishly. "Oh about a month and a half," she answers to the gapping cast.

Haruka gets a look on her face and starts for Minako, but is held back by her wife. "Let me at her. I'm going to go all Callisto on her ass," Haruka shouts at the now running Minako who leaves a sizeable dust trail behind her and hides behind a Setsuna who is walking into the theater.

Setsuna looks back at her fiancé and smirks. "Plan not going according to plan, honey?" Setsuna asks before turning around to regard the quivering Minako.

Minako sweat drops and looks up into her gorgeous fiancé's eyes and shakes her head. "Well, Haruka wants to kill me because I have a month and a half, Rei is getting all bent out of shape because of the "special" relationship between Xena and Gabrielle and she's worried that her feelings for the odango will slip, while Usagi is mad because I had her cut those dreaded meatballs from her head and Mamoru is rather pissy about having to play Ares and no smoochie time with Usagi. So all in all it's going very well," Minako replies sarcastically.

"So in laymen's terms, it's a disaster, right?" Setsuna asks while wrapping an arm around the blondes shoulders who promptly puts her head onto her shoulder.

"Pretty much, yes, but I have faith that this episode will be more agreeable to them," Minako states before jumping away from Setsuna and flashes her the trade mark Sailor V sign.

"Well what episode did you decide to do? I don't think that there are many funny episodes where Gabrielle's hair is short unless you count fifth season and I really don't think that Rei wants to pretend that she's pregnant or has a kid and I don't think that Mamoru would be expectable to playing Joxer for the episode Married to Fish Sticks," Setsuna states with a look that makes Minako chuckle softly.

"I wouldn't subject them to season five nor to Usagi having to play a part where she is married to Joxer even if it really wasn't him," Minako answers with a scoff before smiling at her fiancé and pats her cheek gently. "Don't worry my dear, everything will be fine. Just a couple of rewrites here and there and it'll go perfectly. I just know it!"

She smiles once again at her fiancé before they walk out of the theater since everyone else had left and there was no point of trying to get them back together after this. Minako just knew that this was the way for her two friends to get together. That this was the stuff story's where made about, that and she really needed a good grade for her class.

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A couple of days later, Minako walks into the theater after convincing everyone to come back, with new scripts for her play. Walking with Setsuna beside her, she smiles cheerfully at everyone in the theater only to get scowls for her effort, but the scowls and muttering doesn't deter the Senshi of Venus. Instead she hands out the scripts with a chipper smile and a sing song voice which makes everyone grimace and take the script with unhappy looks on their faces.

Minako claps her hands together before turning towards her thespians. "Alright, I've scrapped the idea of playing a light hearted episode and decided to do a scene from the last episode, A Friend In Need. I still want Rei and Usagi to play Xena and Gabrielle. I want Makoto playing the samurai leader and Mamoru playing Akemi's father. Michiru will be the makeup artist, Haruka will be doing the lights, Setsuna has agreed to do the costumes and Ami will run the camera, while I direct the episode. Okay. Everyone ready? Let's run through this by just reading it before we start that way we can get a feel for this episode. So just go off in pairs if you want and read over the script while I talk to everyone else about what we'll need to do. Oh and Usagi. I was hoping that you could paint the scenery along with Michiru who has volunteered to do that as well," Minako states and sees Usagi nodding her head while reading the script in her hand. "Great! Thanks, Usa!"

Minako walks off with Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru leaving the other's by themselves. She turns to her friends and smirks at them.

"Alright, plan B has been taken into effect. Now all we have to do is watch and wait for the sparks to fly," Minako states while rubbing her hands together in glee.

The three older woman look at themselves and wonder not for the first time what exactly they've gotten themselves into.

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Some weeks go by with the play steadily progressing. Well, that is, all except the part where Gabrielle gives Xena the water from the fountain. That part wasn't going so well.

First it was Usagi had a cold, then it was Rei had a cold, then for some reason Mamoru developed a nose bleed just before Usagi could place her lips against Rei's, then it was Rei who ended up with a nose bleed, then it was Usagi, (boy it was an epidemic of nose bleeds that week for some reason), then the girls ended up crashing heads together, another time it was Rei accidentally chipping a tooth, and these little things went on and on.

The rest of the play was shaping to be really good, it's just that, Minako's leading ladies couldn't get their act together for some reason, but these little incidents did not deter Minako from the big picture. She knew that the reason it wasn't being done was because the girls were trying to curb their attraction towards each other.

By the time, Minako was ready to start video taping she believed that the girls would put on a prefect performance and maybe end up professing their undying love for one another and Usagi would give Mamoru the boot. At least that's what she was hoping for.

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When the day finally came the play went off without a hitch. Nothing was going wrong. Her leading ladies were saying everything correctly as were the other two performers. When it was time for the final scene Minako had Ami stop filming and strode up to Rei and Usagi.

"Alright you two. The last scene is coming up. I want power, I want passion, but most of all I want to see danger. Now, lets get to it!" She exclaims with a clap of her hands before leaving the stage and two nervous looking girls behind.

Usagi gulps and looks at Rei who tries to smile bravely. "We can do this, Rei. Its just a little peck," Usagi states her voice betraying how nervous she is despite her brave words.

Rei nods her head not trusting her voice before going to where she needed to be and wait for Usagi to come over to her.

Minako sitting in her directors chair smiles evilly to herself before clapping her hands together. "Alright anddddd action!" She exclaims happily.

Usagi takes cups her hand and brings it to her mouth from the fake small pond before drinking it then she staggers over to Xena (Rei) and leans down over her. She steels herself for the best acting that she could give and places her lips against, Rei's.

A bolt of energy runs through the girls and Rei brings her hand up to cup the back of Usagi's head and pulls her into a deeper kiss while Usagi makes a mewing noise in the back of her throat.

The two kiss long and deeply for a while and are dimly aware when Minako calls for a cut, but the two don't break apart, instead they keep on kissing. After a while and in need of air, the two girls break apart and Usagi leans her forehead against Rei's to stare into the amethyst eyes before her.

"That was incredible," Usagi whispers breathlessly while staring into the raven haired girls eyes, only to have Rei nod her head slightly while smiling slightly.

"Yeah, it was, Usa," Rei states before wrapping her arms around the girls tiny waist. "Usa, I've been meaning to tell you something for the longest time, but I never had the nerve to tell you. I'm in love with you and I always have been."

Usagi smiles back at Rei while lifting a hand up to stroke the girls hair. "I know. I've always known. I just didn't know what to do. What with mine and Mamoru's destiny I just always assumed that I had to do what everyone was dictating to me, but now, I just don't care. I want to be happy and I know that I'll be happy with you, my dear, Rei-chan."

Rei smiles before bringing her new girlfriends lips towards her own and kisses her deeply before they get up off the floor of the stage and stand hand in hand looking at the other's gathered around them.

Usagi puffs out her chest and in her best menacing voice she states. "Rei and I are going out. If any of you have a problem with that, well then tough. I'm sick of hearing about destinies and what I can and can't do. I'm living my life the way I want to, not because someone tells me I have to."

Everyone in the theater looks at each other before starting to laugh, well all except Mamoru who looked like he had just been kicked in the nuts with a shoe the size of Cleveland, that is.

Rei and Usagi look at each other and raise their eyebrows before looking at their friends who are still laughing. "What's so funny?" They ask together.

Minako wipes a tear from her eye and chuckles. "Why do you think we put on this play to begin with? Not just because I needed a good grade, but because we wanted you two to finally see what we were seeing," Minako states with a large smile on her face.

The two girls look at each other before looking back towards the goddess of love, a large black cloud beginning to form around them and their eyebrows twitch in annoyance.

"You mean to tell us, that you did this in order to set us up?" Rei asks while clenching her hands into fists so hard that her knuckles crack.

"Uhhh, yeah," Minako states before looking over at her fiancé with a worried look on her face.

Usagi licks her lips then stares at Minako through narrowed eyes. "I have only one thing to say to you, Mina," Usagi states with a sickeningly sweet smile on her face.

"Umm, do I have a choice in hearing what that something is?" Minako asks while backing away from the dark cloud that is Rei and Usagi.

Usagi shakes her head and her smile grows wider. "No, you don't. Now, what I'm going to say is this. Run!" Usagi yells while growing fangs and the two girls run after Minako who leaves a large dust cloud behind her while the other two girls follow, yelling at her.

Michiru, Ami, Makoto, Haruka and Setsuna look at each other before shrugging. "Guess the play was the thing," Haruka states with a chuckle.

"Yeah, the thing to bring about, Minako's down fall," Michiru chuckles before wrapping an arm around her wife's waist.

Setsuna lets out a groan. "I am so not looking forward in going home tonight. I'm never gonna hear the end of it," she states while the others sweat drop.

"Let's all hole up in Haruka and Michiru's house. I don't think they'll look for us there," Makoto states while the others nod their agreement and walk out of the theater making plans on how to keep the three girls away from them until they all calm down.

No one notices, that, Mamoru, is still standing on the stage with rivers of tears running down his face and to tell you the truth. No one really cares.

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And now a special note from our two favorite actresses Rei and Usagi! So give it up, people!

Rei and Usagi walk out of the wings smiling and waving while people clap for their two favorite actresses. Once to the middle of the stage Rei motions for everyone to calm down.

"Alright people. As most of you know, there are stories circulating around about us being lovers. We'd like to state that it isn't true," Rei states while Usagi nods her head.

"That's right, Rei is really in love with Yuuichirou and I am madly in love with Mamoru," She states while Rei nods her head as well.

They both stand there with really large smiles on their faces. "Honest," they say together before walking off the stage around the curtain which for some reason has a light on in the back showing their shadows plus there's a microphone not to far away that is turned on as well.

We see Rei dip Usagi back and kiss her gently. "Do you think they bought it?" She asks while Usagi shakes her head.

"Not a chance," she states before bringing Rei in closer and the two share a deep kiss then the lights go out in the back and everything is dark.

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The End

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**Please Read and Review.**

So what did you all think? You hate it? Loved it? Let me know! Thanks! Ja Ne!


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